Half to i



(No Model.)

W. T.- MANNING.

RAILROAD SWITCH LOCK.

No. 383,965'. Patented Juil@ 5, .1888

FIG.

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Flags.

INVENTOR, wlw/@1M WITNESSES:

N. PETERS, FhnvLilhngnpher. Washington, D. C.

Uivrr'nn STATES YPATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. MANNING, F PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO I. N. KALBAUGH, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD-SWITCH LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,965, dated June 5, 1888.

Application filed March 14, 158B. Serial No. 267,169. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM T. MANNING, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented aeertain new and useful Improvement in Railroad- Switch Locks, of which improvement the following is a specification.

Letters Patent of the United States, No. 379,709, granted and issued to me March 20, 1888, set forth and claim a switch-stand and locking mechanism of such construction that the switch-lever shall, upon the Withdrawal of the key, be automatically locked when thrown to close the main track, the lock being in such position unaffected by strain brought upon the lever in the passage of trains over the switchrails, and the lever being prevented from being locked when in position to open the switch to the side track.

The object of my present invention is to attain corresponding results in the operation of switches having their levers mounted in stands of the type ordinarily termed groundstands.7

rlhe improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or top View oi" a ground switch-stand embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a side view of the saine; and Fig. 3 a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, at the line a: x of Fig. 1.

r)Ehe switch -stand is, similarly to those of this type heretofore generally employed, formed of a substantial base-plate of metal, 1, adapted to be spiked to a tie and provided with a bearing, 27, in which is mounted a short horizontal shaft, 4, upon which the switch-lever 3 is secured. The opposite end of the shaft-1 carries an arm, 32, provided with a pin, 30, to

which is coupled the switch-bar 7, by which the switch-rails are thrown to beset to the main and side tracks, respectively. A ball or weight, 29, having a handle, 28, is fixed upon the free end of the switch lever, which is moved by the operator, the gravity of the ball or weight, which rests upon the tie which supports the stand when the switch-lever is thrown into position to effect either ofthe desired adjustments ofthe switch-rails, maintaining the switch lever and rails as against displacement l from such position by strain induced by the passage of trains over the switch-rails or otherwise.

VVheu in position to set the switch-rails 4to the main track, the switch-lever 3 rests within a Vertical recess, 5, in a block or standard, 31, formed upon or secured to the base-plate 1 or to the tie upon which the same is spiked, and is locked in such position by a spring-locking bolt, 17, iitted to slide transversely to the plane of movement of the switch-lever 3 in a lockcase, 13, which is fixed to, being preferably formed integral, as shown, with, the block 31. The end of the lock-boltwhich adjoins the switch-lever is adaptedto engage a lateral recess, 24, therein, the bolt being rounded off at its upper corner and the abutting edge of the switch -lever being correspondingly rounded to enable the lever to press the bolt out of the recess 5 and pass by its end in being brought into position to set the switch to the main track, in which position the locking-bolt is moved outwardly into the recess 5 and caused to engage the recess 24 of the switch -lever by a spring, 1S, bearing against a collar on the locking-bolt and against an annular cap-piece, 20, fixed in the outer end of the lock-ease 13 and having a central opening for the introduction of a key. The switch-lever will consequently be automatically locked in, and by its movement to throw the switelrrails to main-track position, 'and when in such position the movement of the switch-lever by unauthorized persons will be prevented by the locking-bolt, and the locking-bolt will be exempt from strains brought upon the switch rails and lever. It will be obvious that the portion of the standard 31 on the side of the recess 5, opposite that on which the llock-case 13 is fixed, may, if desired, be dispensed with where the switch-lever is sufriciently stift to prevent its being sprung outwardly clear of the locking-bolt., but the construction shown is preferable, as it eiiectually prevents any such abnormal movement.

To provide for the unlocking or withdrawal of the locking-bolt 17 from the recess 24 of the switch-lever, so as to permit the movement of the latter to throw the switch-rails to sidetrack position.y a threaded stem, 21, is formed ICO npon the locking-bolt, said stem being adapted to be engaged by a correspondingly-threaded socket on a switch-key, the rotation of which moves the locking-bolt longitudinally in its ease and releases the switch-lever. If the key be removed after the switch-lever has been thrown, as it is the duty of the brakeman or other person operating the switch to do, the spring 18 returns the locking-bolt to initial position in readiness to automatically lock the switch when the lever is again thrown into niain-traek position. It will be seen that the operator is not called upon to lock the switch, and that the only case in which lit will fail to belocked when in main-track position will be when the operator neglects to remove his key after unlocking and throwing the switch, which negligence will he detected and brought home to the proper person by his inability to produce the registered key with which he is charged.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentn The combination of a switchstand having a horizontal base-plate and a bearing for the shaft of a switch-lever, a switch-lever having' W'. T. MANNING.

W'itneSSes:

J. SNOWDEN BELL, Crus. H. MAYnRs. 

